Chapter 21 nineteen

After fully considering the possible intentions of the ascetic monk, I felt that I should agree to meet him.John Mauprat cannot hope to deceive me by tricks; I will do everything in my power to prevent him from disturbing my uncle's dying days with his intrigues.So I set out for the city the next day, arrived at the close of vespers, and rang with some excitement at the door of the Carmelite monastery. The retreat chosen by the ascetics is one of countless mendicant orders cultivated in France.On the surface, the monastery has a strict system, but in fact it is very rich and indulges in pleasure.In this age of skepticism, the number of monks is out of proportion to the size and wealth of the institutions established for them; and the monks who roam the wide monasteries in the provincial backwoods lead the most comfortable and indolent lives ever known. ; they are extravagant and extravagant, free from the supervision of public opinion (public opinion is always powerless when people have their own way).This isolation, as it was called at the time, was the root of "lovely evil," loved only by the ignorant.The chiefs are full of resentment due to idleness, silently cultivating ambitions, and have long indulged in cranky thinking.To act recklessly, even within a limited sphere, aided by the most incompetent of its members, was the obsession of the abbots and priests.

The Carmelite abbot I am about to meet is the embodiment of this inaction and restlessness.Paralyzed by gout in the great armchair, he stood in strange contrast to the venerable knight, whose face was as pale as his own, motionless, but dignified and serene in his melancholy.The dean is short and fat, and has a bad temper.His upper body is free, his head can turn quickly from side to side; his arms wave when he gives orders; his short, hoarse voice seems to give everything a mysterious meaning.In short, his upper body seemed to be constantly trying to drive his lower body, like the enchanted man in the Arabian story, whose marble body above the belt was hidden under the long gown.

He received me with the utmost amiability, annoyed that his men had not brought me a chair quickly enough, and stretching out his big limp hand, he drew it towards him, leaned against his chair, and beckoned to a tall, bearded lecher he called Brother Treasurer. Go out; travel to me, return.After asking a lot of questions about health and family, I flipped through my eyelids that were swollen and heavy due to excessive indulgence, and quickly glanced at me with a pair of bright and flexible small eyes, and entered the question: "My dear child, I know why you have come; you want to visit your holy relative, this ascetic monk; he is a model of influence, whom God gave us as an example to the world, and to reveal the miracle of grace. Sent."

"Monsieur de Abbot," I replied, "I am not a good Christian to appreciate the miracles you speak of. Let the pious soul give thanks to God! As for me, I am here because of John de Mauppe Mr. Ra wishes to tell me--as he says--of my plans, and I am ready to hear them. If you will allow me to see him--" "I don't want him to see you before me, young man!" cried the abbot with feigned frankness, taking my hands: "In the name of charity, in the name of the blood that flows in your veins, Please do me a favor..." I withdrew a hand; seeing my displeased expression, the dean immediately changed his tone, and the degree of flexibility was amazing.

"You are a man of high society, I know that. You resent the man who was John de Mauprat, but today he is called the humble Brother John-Nepomisena. Even if our holy master Christ Jesus Admonitions did not make you merciful, so considerations of family tradition and decency should make you share my fears and my efforts. You know the pious but reckless decision of Brother John; it is your duty to persuade him to change idea; you will, I have no doubt." "It is possible, sir," I replied coldly, "but may I ask you why you are so interested in my family's affairs?"

"In a spirit of charity, which inspires all believers in Christ," answered the Abbot, with pomp and circumstance. Under cover of this pretense, the priest was able to meddle in all family secrets, and it was easy to fend off my questions; and though he could not dispel my suspicions about him, he was able to prove to me that I should be grateful to him for the knowledge of my name. Kudos to the attention.Had to find out what he meant; things worked out as I expected.My Uncle John demanded from me his share of the Maupra Rock estate; In addition to 1/7 of the income, there are seven years of accumulated income), or he will make crazy moves, and his scandal will inevitably hasten the death of the old man of the knight, and may also cause me "personal strange troubles".All this was subtly alluded to me, ostensibly in Christian fashion, with the most ardent tribute to the piety of the Penitent, and the most sincere expression of the consequences of his "firm resolve." anxiety.In the end, I was clearly explained that John Maupra would not come to ask me for living materials, but I must humbly beg him to accept half of my property, so as to prevent him from implicating my surname and possibly myself in In the dock of the felon.

I try to raise one last objection. "If Brother Nepomisena--as you call it, Monsieur Abbot--is as unshakable as you say, if his only concern on earth is to save his own soul, explain worldly wealth How is it possible to induce him to change his mind? There is a contradiction here that I cannot understand." The dean was a little embarrassed by my sharp gaze on him, but he immediately parried it with an air of innocence, which is a good trick of a rogue. "Good heavens! my dear child," he cried, "don't you know that a pious man derives great comfort from the possession of worldly possessions? Ephemeral riches represent idle pleasures, which should be scorned and obeyed. The man of the canons should all the more insist on their recovery, for such wealth secures him the means of doing good. To tell you the truth, I am in the position of a Penitent, and I will not cede my rights to anyone. ;I'm going to start a religious order, spread the faith, and give out alms from welfare funds that in the hands of a young nobleman like you would be wasted on dogs and horses. The church teaches us that through a lot of sacrifices and generosity , we can redeem our sinful souls. Friar Nepomysena, tormented by divine terror, believed that public atonement was necessary for the salvation of his soul. Like a faithful martyr, he was willing to give his blood to satisfy the merciless but it would be more beautiful for you to see him erect some kind of sacred altar to the glory of God, and hide the ominous splendor of his renounced name in the blessed quiet of a monastery, and at the same time Much safer! He is governed by the Penance spirit, so fond of self-denial, humility, and poverty, that it must be with all my might, and with the help of God, that he should consent to this barter."

"So it is you, Mr. Dean, who, out of sheer good intentions, take the initiative to change the inevitably unfortunate determination? I appreciate your zeal and thank you, but I don't think so many negotiations are Necessary. Nothing is more justified than that of M. John de Mauprat to claim his share of his inheritance. A man who survives only by flight (I will not enter into this point), even if the law refuses to grant him any Civil rights, my uncle can also rest assured that as long as I can freely dispose of property, there will never be the slightest dispute between us. But you do not know that I rely solely on my uncle Hubert de Mo The goodness of the Chevalier de Pula enabled the enjoyment of this property; my family's debts totaled more than the full value of the estate, and he had done enough to pay them off; Just a trustee of an estate that I have not yet accepted."

The dean looked at me in surprise, as if he had been hit by an accident.Then he said to me with a sly smile: "Very well! It seems I have been mistaken; Monsieur Hubert de Mauprat should be consulted directly. I will do so, for I have no doubt that he will be very grateful to me for saving his family from scandal." Yes. This scandal may be very good for one of his relatives in the afterlife, but it must be very bad for another in this world." "I understand, sir," I answered, "that it is a threat; I will reply in the same tone. If Monsieur John de Mauprat dares to pester my uncle and cousin, I will have a score against him; Then it's not just a question of being brought before a court to be guilty of some insult I haven't forgotten. Tell him that I will never forgive the friar unless he relinquishes his chosen role. What if John? M. de Mauprat, who has no income, begs me to be kind enough to give him a modest but decent living according to my income, as he wishes; but if clerical ambition takes hold of his mind, He intends to frighten my uncle and extort money to gratify his new desires through stupid and childish threats, then he is miscalculating - please tell him I said so. The old man's safety and his daughter's There is only me as protector in the future, and I will defend them, even at the risk of my reputation and my life."

"Fame and life are very important at your age," the dean was obviously angry, but put on a more gentle demeanor: "Who knows what kind of madness this religious devotion will lead this ascetic monk to do?" What? Only between the two of us, my poor child... You see, I am not a man of exaggeration; I have seen the world in my youth, and I do not approve of extreme decisions, which are often motivated by pride. Not made out of piety. I have always agreed to relax the strict rules, and the monks under my jurisdiction are good-looking and wear shirts... Believe me, my dear sir, I do not approve of your uncle's plan at all, I will Do everything possible to stop it; but what use is my zeal to you if he insists on doing it? He has the sanction of the Penitentiary Master to carry out his damned ideas... Your reputation may be damaged by this In the end, although you are said to be a noble young nobleman, although you have sworn to renounce past mistakes, although your heart may have always hated injustice, in fact you have participated in many blackmails. deeds are condemned and punished by the laws of the world. If Brother Nepomisena had brought a lawsuit with a criminal case file, who knows what revelations he would have made involuntarily? He could have brought a lawsuit against himself without at the same time A lawsuit against you?... Believe me, I want peace... I'm a good man..."

"Yes, a very fine man, my abbe," I replied sarcastically, "I can quite see it. But you need not be unduly alarmed; there is an obvious inference which should reassure us each other. If the penance It would not be difficult for Friar John, a friar, to make a public apology under true religion, to see that he should stop before dragging another man into the abyss; the spirit of Christ forbids him to do so. But if it turns out to be what I think it is, if Mr. John de Mauprat doesn't want to commit himself to the judiciary at all, then his threats are just a ploy to frighten me, and I will stop them Threats to cause an undue sensation." "Is this all the answers I want to give him?" the dean asked and glanced at me, showing dissatisfaction in his eyes. "Yes, sir," I replied, "unless he is willing to come here and take the answer from me. I have made up my mind to overcome the disgust which my meeting with him arouses in me. I am surprised that he Expressed a desperate desire to talk to me, then ducked away when I came." "Sir," said the abbot, with a ridiculous air of affectation, "it is my duty to bring the peace of God to this holy place. I object to any meeting that might lead to a fierce rivalry..." "You are too easily intimidating, Mr. Abbot," I replied, "and there is absolutely no need to get angry here. But it is not I who started this argument; Thank you for agreeing to act as an intermediary.” After that, I bowed deeply, said goodbye and left.